Food Freedom Friday Edition 370 - The Problem With Vegan Diets

You might believe that a vegan or plant-based diet would help you manage your weight and resolve any nagging health problems. You hear less about the health problems that can occur from a strict plant-based diet that excludes all animal products.

A vegan diet is defined as an eating plan that excludes any food that comes from an animal. This includes eggs, dairy, meat, fish, poultry, and even honey.

A vegan diet does not necessarily imply it is healthy though, since, by definition, it does not exclude a lot of processed foods, sugar, or gluten. Simply look at the popularity of fake meats which are incredibly processed and not necessarily healthy by any stretch of the imagination.

A “whole foods, plant-based diet” is more often the term used for an approach that includes fewer processed foods, and a greater emphasis on fruits, vegetables, legumes, grains, nuts, and seeds. However, even that term can get confusing as paleo diets are considered to be a plant-based approach, but they do include animal products.

In my professional opinion, a vegan diet (vegetarian but without dairy and egg) is one of the unhealthiest diets. This is not because I have any personal bias against it, but because I have observed over and over again that it makes people ill. Typically, the problems begin with a lack of appetite, energy, and strength, and escalate over time to chronic fatigue, dental problems, muscle wasting, premature aging, digestive issues, skin conditions, and very often a mental-health issue: anxiety, panic, mood swings, depression, or eating disorders (which are actually a very complex mental-health issue).

This decline in health happens slowly in most people, making the root cause rather unclear. However, when I treat clients in this downward spiral I frequently see the common denominator is their vegan diet.

A vegan diet not only removes some of the foods that are most nutritionally dense - namely meat, dairy, and eggs - but usually replaces them with grains and vegetable oils. These ‘foods’ provide cheap, nutritionally-empty calories, and invariably create a lot of inflammation and health problems.

Even if a vegan only eats fruits and vegetables they can develop health issues and run into numerous deficiencies which can be very challenging to overcome until red meat is re-incorporated into the diet. Supplementation is ineffective and should never be used instead of a healthy, whole food diet for maintaining health. Supplements contain isolated nutrients, while foods have assorted nutrients that work synergistically. Eating a poor diet and relying on supplements is simply going to create imbalances and poor health over time.

Vegan diets are lacking in these nutrients in particular:

· Vitamin B12

· Calcium

· Iron

· Zinc

· Iodine

· Essential fatty acids (long chain) EPA and DHA (essential for brain health)

· Proteins, essential for neurotransmitters (brain function) and healthy tissues

· Fat soluble vitamins A and D, very important for brain and hormonal health

Potential Dangers Of Vegan Diets

Legume Protein Sources

Since a vegan diet excludes all forms of animal protein including meat, fish, eggs, and dairy, people following a vegan diet often turn to legumes as a plant-based protein source. Legumes have high levels of antinutrients including lectins and phytates, both of which can increase intestinal permeability, also called leaky gut.

On the contrary, protein sources from animals do not contain anti-nutrients and are among the highest sources of foods in terms of nutrition for humans.

It is also much harder to get sufficient protein from a vegan diet. This is true for vegetarians as well, but only to a lesser extent. Steak or fish contain 20-30 grams of protein per 100 grams of product. The main protein sources for vegans - vegetables, beans, soy, tempeh, and rice - contain only 5-20 grams of protein per 100 grams of product.

When people remove animal protein from their diet and replace it with higher amounts of legumes, there could be an increased risk of gut inflammation and increased intestinal permeability (leaky gut). While there are no direct human studies on this topic, it is a potential risk that you should be aware of.

Whilst there are high protein sources for vegans, such as hemp protein powder, that you can use to increase your protein intake, they contain large amounts of unstable polyunsaturated fatty acids. That PUFA content only becomes higher in other hemp products, such as hemp seeds. Hemp is not a great option to meet protein requirements given the dangers of PUFA overconsumption.

Soy Protein & Hormone Disruptions

Again, as a result of excluding all forms of animal protein, many vegans turn to soy as a protein source. While unprocessed forms of soy may be okay for some people, processed forms of soy are commonly found in a vegan diet, including tofu, soy milk, and soy-based processed foods sold as meat substitutes.

Processed soy foods are no better for human health than any other highly-processed foods, but with the added risk of hormone interference due to phytoestrogens found in all forms of soy. Soy has also been found to be a contributor to the intake of the toxic metal cadmium in vegans and vegetarians.

Risk Of Anemia

Iron-deficient anemia is the most common nutritional deficiency in the world, and both vegans and vegetarians are at higher risk of this condition. While plant foods contain a form of iron, it is non-heme iron and is much less bioavailable and absorbable by the body.

Iron-deficient anemia can lead to serious symptoms including fatigue, and women of child-bearing age should be aware of how a vegan or vegetarian diet can quickly lead to anemia.

While iron supplements can be taken to help reverse or prevent anemia, most women dislike taking iron supplements because potential negative side effects including constipation.

Low Omega-3 Fatty Acid Intake

Omega fatty acid deficiencies in the standard vegan diet are the subject of a long-standing argument. If you are feeling better not eating meat, is it that important to worry about getting these omega fatty acids? Vegan diets are typically much lower in fat than standard diets, but a well-balanced diet with natural sources of alphalinolenic acid (ALA) and the long-chain omega-3 fatty acids DHA and EPA is fundamental to maintaining a healthy omega fatty acid ratio. This helps to prevent inflammation and promotes long-term health by protecting against health problems like autoimmune and cardiovascular disease. Additionally, your brain is composed of about 60% fat. Depriving your body of fat can contribute to brain symptoms, from brain fog and fatigue to depression and anxiety. Bottom line: Healthy fat is essential for optimal brain health.

Without a food source of omega-3 fatty acids from fish or fish oils and an increased consumption of omega-6 fatty acid from foods like nuts, vegans might be at higher risk of suffering from depression.

You must get these fats from food because your body can’t synthesize them. But what about omega fats from plant-based sources such as legumes, nuts, and seeds? This is where the bioavailability problem rears its ugly head.

The majority of people consume most of their omega-3s in the form of ALA, which comes from plants. ALA is an energy source for your cells, and a small percentage is converted into DHA and EPA. This low conversion rate is insufficient. Only up to 10 percent of EPA and up to 5 percent of DHA are converted in the body. The best sources of DHA and EPA are fatty, cold-water fish like salmon, trout, herring, mackerel, and sardines; in shellfish such as shrimp, oysters, clams, and scallops; and in cod liver oil. These sources of omega-3 are the most bioavailable to your body. Vegetarians have an estimated 30 percent deficiency in both EPA and DHA; vegans have a 50 percent deficiency in EPA and a 60 percent deficiency in DHA. You cannot get enough of these brain-critical fatty acids from plants.

Algae-based sources of omega-3 fatty acids are an option, but they can be expensive and hard to find. And, since many vegan diets may include a higher than average intake of nuts, the balance of fatty acids in the body can still get off-balance.

Vitamin B12 Deficiency

Since vitamin B12 is only available in animal foods, vegans are at a much higher risk of developing a deficiency in this vital nutrient. In fact, most nutrition professionals agree that those on a vegan or vegetarian diet must supplement with a high-quality vitamin B12 supplement to avoid irreversible health conditions that can result from deficiency.

It should also be noted that many people have a genetic variation known as MTHFR that can impact how B vitamins are absorbed. In this case, even certain B vitamin supplementation might not be enough to prevent a deficiency.

Inhibition Of Zinc Absorption

Similar to vitamin B12, vegan and vegetarian diets can result in low zinc status. It is theorized that the problem in this case is that higher consumption of plant foods containing phytic acid may inhibit the ability of the body to absorb zinc.

Because of this potential issue with zinc absorption, it is often recommended that vegans and vegetarians should increase their intake of zinc up to 50% of the recommended daily allowance to ensure adequate levels.

Overconsumption Of Carbohydrate

Vegan diets are generally lower in protein and can create blood sugar swings in certain individuals. There is also the risk of over-consuming carbohydrates on a vegan diet, especially since legumes are often consumed as a protein source, and are very high in carbohydrates.

Vegans may also replace the calories from protein sources with refined carbohydrates including bread, crackers, and cookies. Over-consuming carbohydrates can lead to non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, blood sugar dysregulation, and other troublesome symptoms.

Following a diet that includes moderate to higher levels of protein has been shown to have a positive effect on satiety and weight management. It can be harder to find quality sources of protein on a vegan diet that aren’t also carbohydrate sources (like beans) or are soy-based.

For all these reasons, a vegetarian, and especially a vegan diet, is not something to practice lightly. It takes a lot of effort, awareness, careful calibration of nutrients, and supplementation. The simple solution is to eat a wide variety of animal products including seafood and organ meat and fresh vegetables if desired and tolerated, and you can rest assured you are getting all the nutrients your body needs.